Dos Pueblos boys and girls wrestling competed in the Lancaster Desert Duals over the weekend in Lancaster.
The boys team went 3-2 to finish in seventh place out of 24 teams in the Gold Bracket, while the girls squad collected 31 points and placed 20th out of 29 teams.
The Charger boys earned victories over Franklin (64-16), Birmingham (65-18) and Littlerock (47-36).
Brandon Velasquez and Ethan Ono led the way for Dos Pueblos, earning first-place finishes in the 175 and 215-pound divisions, respectively. They each went 5-0, with Velasquez registering five pins and Ono picking up four pins and a technical fall.
Meanwhile, Patrick Sullivan continued the strong Charger showing by placing second in the 144-pound division.
“It was a great opportunity for all our boys to wrestle state-ranked wrestlers, deal with adversity, and exercise their resilience,” Dos Pueblos head coach Matthew Bernard said. “The team was fun to watch wrestle.
“On top of that, they came together and supported each other through every dual and every match, picking each other up and motivating the next wrestler to go out.”
Max Mazin (190 lbs.), Felipe Tejeda-Loomis (150 lbs.) and Thiago Hidalgo (126 lbs.) all went 3-2 and came in third place in their respective weight divisions.
As for the girls, Ariana Valladares collected the vast majority of Dos Pueblos’ points after going 5-1 and placing third in her division. Jennifer Salcedo also tacked on a win for the Chargers.
“Our girls gained valuable experience this weekend and are bringing home some lessons learned,” Bernard said. “Ari learned she can hang with the best in the state, which is quite an accomplishment.”